20 top spots to stay

You can enjoy butler service, the elegance of stately home living, menus to die for, glorious countryside - and even a hotel filled with replica frogs. We choose some of the best places across Britain to stay this summer

Indulgent

Britain's newest resort spa, the Fistral, has just opened in the super-chilled Bay Hotel in Newquay, providing a perfect place to soothe aching limbs after engaging in some of the area's high-adrenalin activities. The hotel, at the southern tip of the world-famous Fistral surfing beach, has its own surf school and can arrange kayaking, kitesurfing, coasteering, rock climbing, abseiling and more.

The Slieve Donard Resort & Spa, at the foot of the Mourne mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland, has an £8m state-of-the-art Espa spa, which it claims is one of the largest and most specialised in the country. There are 50 spacious bedrooms, 16 treatment rooms, a 20-metre pool, vitality pool and fitness suite. The grounds lead to an expansive beach and lie next to the Royal County Down golf course.

· Book it: 028 4372 1066; hastingshotels.com. Spa breaks start from £128 for one night's bed and breakfast and a 55-minute treatment

Bunkered into the hillside at the edge of a creek near Polruan on the south Cornish coast is Pencalenick House, a fabulous cedar, slate and glass house with five double rooms, a single and a room with two sets of bunk beds. Five bathrooms come with Philippe Starck suites and Aveda toiletries, beds are covered with white linen, there's an office with WiFi, computer and plasma TV, and there's a chef in the fabulously equipped kitchen. But best of all is the 47ft yacht waiting to ferry you to secluded coves.

· Book it: 020 7747 6858; special-escapes.co.uk. It costs £2,500 per day including all meals and activities

Have the butler serve you strawberries and champagne or a pitcher of Pimm's while you indulge in a range of outdoor pursuits at the 7,000-acre Kinnaird Hotel & Sporting Estate in Perthshire, Scotland. Just snap your fingers and these outdoor butlers will bring you a hat and sun cream if the weather turns warm, set up a gourmet picnic, or even pick you up if you tire while out on your country walk.

· Book it: 01796 482440; kinnairdestate.com. A three-night break with breakfast and dinner costs from £1,150 for two sharing a room

Romantic

Holm House in Penarth, Wales, brings a new touch of luxury to the seaside town. The 1920s house has 12 individually decorated rooms, including a decadent 'lovers' suite and spa suite. It's all very tastefully done, but keeps a quirky, bohemian edge, with Bang & Olufsen media centres, flat-screen TVs, Starck furniture, champagne bar and stylish restaurant. Rooms cost from £175 with breakfast and three-course dinner.

The luxurious Gilpin Lodge Country House Hotel on the shores of Windermere has launched six Garden Suites for guests seeking a peaceful retreat. Each has a private garden with Canadian cedarwood hot tub, surrounded by ponds and water features that are lit up in the evening - it's the perfect romantic spot. The restaurant received a Michelin star in January for dishes including pan-fried foie gras with Umbrian lentils and roasted cepes followed by local loin of Grizedale venison with chestnuts and cinnamon sauce.

Hole yourselves up in the new luxury Boat Shed at the Ardanaiseig Hotel in the Scottish Highlands, recently voted Scotland's Most Romantic Hotel. You can arrive by seaplane, train or car then feast on champagne and oysters, walk in the woods and row on the loch. The Shed, which comes with a king-size bed, dining area and small kitchen, has floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a telescope for wildlife viewing and star-gazing. The hotel is launching a 'Hook'n'Cook' experience, offering guests a morning's fishing on the loch (renowned for its unusually large trout), followed by an al fresco lunch of the morning's catch on the lawn.

· Book it: 01866 833 333; ardanaiseig.com. It costs £183 per person for bed and breakfast

Grand

The gardens alone merit a visit to Gloucestershire's 17th-century Barnsley House hotel, but a new spa and 30-seat cinema make it all the more special. Eight new rooms in a converted barn bring the total to 18. All are individually decorated, offering elegant but understated comfort. The contemporary spa, built of Cotswold stone, blends in with the surroundings, and treatments use specially blended essential oils. Double rooms from £275 per night with breakfast.

· Book it: 01285 740 000

Stay in a luxury castle hotel in the Yorkshire Dales. Swinton Park has 30 bedrooms that combine the elegance of a stately home with the comforts of a contemporary hotel. There's a three-rosette restaurant serving venison and game from the estate, a cookery school run by chef Rosemary Shrager and a recently refurbished spa.

Boath House in Nairn was on Historic Scotland's 'endangered list', then owners Don and Wendy Matheson restored it to its original splendour, as a Grade A-listed Georgian mansion set in 20 acres of land including lake and walled herb garden. There's a spa offering Aveda treatments and the restaurant has been awarded three AA red stars and four AA rosettes.

Sleeping in a converted loo isn't too appealing until you realise it was once the toilette of Edward VII when he stayed at Greywalls, one of Scotland's most distinctive period homes. The King's Loo, transformed into a double bedroom in a secluded rose garden away from the main house yet only yards from the hotel's three-rosette restaurant, recently hosted Barbra Streisand on her honeymoon. It's only 25 minutes from the centre of Edinburgh yet close to some of Scotland's best beaches.

· Book it: 01620 842144; greywalls.co.uk. Bed and breakfast for two costs £300 per night

This tall wooden building, with no fewer than six floors, is arguably the most unusual self-catering property in England. The House in the Clouds in Thorpeness, Suffolk, is a narrow dark wooden tower topped by a square red house-shaped building, with a white chimney running up the side. A spiral staircase leads to a games room on the upper gallery on the fifth floor, which has stupendous views. There are three twin bedrooms, two doubles, three bathrooms, a sofa bed in the drawing room, plus a dining room and kitchen. Outdoor activity is what it's all about here, with boules and lawn tennis on site, plus golf and walking along the Suffolk Heritage Coast.

The owner of the Frogg Manor hotel in Broxton, Cheshire, describes it as 'unashamedly bourgeois, eccentric, original and quintessentially English'. Guests report a similar description of the owner himself, the rather bonkers-sounding John Sykes, also known as 'Chief Frog', who dedicated the hotel to an ex-girlfriend nicknamed Froggy, filling it with replica amphibians. He is quick to point out that it's not to everyone's taste, but we like the sound of music from the 1930s and 1940s, gourmet menus, a 'party room' for post-dinner dancing and the treehouse Lady Guinevere suite in the garden.

Scenic retreat

Baggy Leap in Woolacombe, North Devon, is surrounded by National Trust land and is only five minutes' walk from the surfing beach at Woolacombe Bay and has stunning views of the sea. Sleeping 10, it has four double bedrooms (two en-suite) and one twin, a 24ft kitchen, large dining room, sitting room with a pool table, small lounge and garden. One drawback though - you'll have to move fast if you want to snap it up for a summer holiday. A week costs £2,557.

The New White Lion, which opened at Christmas in Llandovery, is a gem of a place. The Grade II building dates from 1838 and has just six delightful bedrooms, each influenced by Welsh characters and folklore legends, with en-suite bathrooms and large-screen TVs. Not that you will want to spend too much time in your room - this is a beautiful part of the world, gateway to the Brecon Beacons and Towy Valley. Owners Gerald and Sylvia Pritchard have lived here all their lives and have great insider tips on the best walks and places to visit. Homemade, locally sourced food is served in the restaurant.

Hiking in the Lake District can be a soggy affair, and even if the weather is fine you'll appreciate the wetroom and outdoor spa when you return to the five-star self-catering Lazy Fish. It has fabulous views of Ling Fell and Whinlatter Forest, where ospreys rear their chicks from May to September. This converted barn sleeps up to four adults in 850 sq ft of luxury living space that contains a real log burner, underfloor eco-friendly heating and exposed beams. A hamper with champagne, flowers and local foods will be waiting when you arrive and gourmet meals can be ordered in.

· Book it: 01768 776 179; thelazyfish.co.uk. A week costs from £960, three nights from £495

You think the views from this Georgian villa in Bangor to Ballyholme Bay are really something - then you see the breakfast. Cairn Bay Lodge's pancakes, Ulster grill, organic yogurts and home-baked breads form some of the most enticing culinary scenery you'll find in a B&B. Guests seeking more privacy can stay in the luxury beach house next door, sleeping eight, from £350 a night for a minimum three-night stay.

· Book it: 028 9146 7636; cairnbaylodge.com. From £35 per person per night for a standard room in the main house

City escapes

It's not open until 2 July, but the new Hotel du Vin in Cheltenham promises to be another classy addition to the chain, which already has nine hotels across the UK. A spacious area with a spiral staircase forms the centrepiece. There will be 49 bedrooms and suites, the trademark bistro will offer al fresco dining, plus a champagne bar and 'grape and grain' bar will ensure you have a good night.

· Book it: 01242 633 738; hotelduvin.com. From £140 for a double per night

Looking for somewhere swanky within easy reach of London's attractions? The upmarket Montagu Place in Marylebone has 16 simple but style-conscious rooms graded as Comfy, Fancy and Swanky and is housed in a Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse. The bar does punchy cocktails and all rooms have flatscreen TVs, DVD players and modern bathrooms. Soho, Regents Park and the canalside cafes of Little Venice are within walking distance.

Give yourself ultimate freedom during your city break and feel like a local by renting your own flat. You won't have to make it down to breakfast before 10, or dress for dinner, but if you choose one of the luxury studios available with the Serviced Apartment Company, you get a 24-hour concierge service and four/five-star style. The new flats in Bath have Italian-designed interiors and bags of space and are located in a Grade II listed 18th-century terrace five minutes from the station. It also has stylish apartments in a luxury canalside development in Birmingham, and 96 other locations across the UK, plus thousands more overseas.

· Book it: 0845 122 0405; sacoapartments.co.uk. From £70 per night for a studio flat, from £95 for a one-bedroom flat